I'm in the season of simplifying and loving it - our schedule, our food, our belongings, and our time. Everything is under scrutiny and subject to slashing. I'm gaining time, perspective. I'm bringing peace from my morning right into the rest of the day.
I love January for its new beginnings and days of reflection.
Maybe you're in that season, too? Here are two of the simplest (a.k.a. Simple List) things I'm changing to add time and peace to my day:
1. Facebook
I’ve never been a “heavy” Facebook user, though maybe that’s just denial. How much of a useless thing is too much? I’m slightly irritated with Facebook right now but it's my own fault. I've given it too many valuable minutes of my life and it’s just not what it used to be. So...
:: I logged out of Facebook.
That’s not earth-shattering, which is why it’s on the list. I simply logged out on both our home computers and also on my phone, and I am happy.
Seriously.
Logging out of Facebook has made me a happier person. I’m sure there’s a scientific study related to this - how much happier is a person when they remove any given source of angst, any waste of resources, any mind-numbing or temper-flaring scenarios from their life?
It’s like I quit a dead-end job.
I debated deleting my account entirely. What held me back from that was the painful fact that Facebook *used to be* the largest source of traffic for my blog. That’s shallow, I know. But the obvious truth is that I put these words online for you to read, not because I've run out of paper.
Now it seems that Facebook only shows my posts to about 16% of those who’ve “liked” my blog page. But they assure me that I can sponsor my posts (you know, pay them to show more people who’ve already said they want to see my posts on their news feed). That's fine. That's their prerogative.
More than blog traffic, though, what kept me from deleting my account were the people who I truly do want to keep in contact with - people I know I wouldn’t otherwise hear from if not for Facebook messages and updates. I want to see their pictures and know how their kids are doing and I want to know how to pray for them.
Also, I’m *that mom* who hasn’t allowed her kids to get their own accounts yet. Deleting my account would only make them want their own, sooner. By using my Facebook their friends have to be my friends, and I like it that way. It has allowed for the learning of many lessons, without my kids having to make all the mistakes of social media themselves. Yes - we teach them from other people's mistakes.
And yes, we make our own mistakes, too.
So Facebook is still there and I can log in anytime I like, but it's a little less accessible now. I hope to be more intentional - logging in once a day or every other day to check the groups I belong to and the people I love. Then, I logout.
Simple Simon.
2. Sleep
I put my cell phone on my bathroom counter, set the alarm for early, and I get up. Every. Day. But Sunday.
:: I don't hit snooze anymore.
Again, nothing earth shattering.
But it has worked for me. I had allowed myself the bad habit of intending to get up early without actually following through, and who really sleeps well during those 4 or 5 snooze sessions, waiting for the next alarm to go off?
Get up first. Think about it later. ~ Oswald Chambers
Two unexpected bonuses of the cell phone alarm, placed far enough away that I have to get out of bed to turn it off:
- I rarely wake up in the middle of the night and look at the clock anymore.
- I can choose whatever buzzer I like for the alarm. No more fingernails-on-chalkboard. No more heart attack wake-ups.
A few times I have either not set the alarm at all or set it for a little later. Realistically, if I don’t go to bed by 10 p.m. I’m doomed, and sometimes I just need more sleep. I make that decision at bedtime though, because I rarely think clearly when the alarm goes off in the morning and I would almost always choose sleep over getting up.
By logging out of Facebook and not hitting the snooze alarm anymore, I probably save an extra hour each day. An hour. Even if it’s just spent in my chair, having “coffee and stare time”, there are no guilty feelings associated with that hour. It’s like I’ve rescued an hour from wasteland.
The Lord is reminding me that I do have time, plenty of time, and I have choices about how I spend it
What are some of the simplest things you're doing during this season?